Apparatus for simultaneous manufacture of wirebound container mats and end units



' Aug. 16, 1966 w J. HOGAN APPARATUS FOR SIMULTANEOUS MANUFACTURE OF WIREBOUND CONTAINER MATS AND END UNITS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. L7, 1964 INVENTOR. M7! 12m ([1? Aug. 16, 1966 w. J. HOGAN 3,266,530

APPARATUS FOR SIMULTANEOUS MANUFACTURE OF WIREBOUND CONTAINER MATS AND END UNITS Filed Jan.

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United States Patent 3,266,530 APPARATUS FOR SIMULTANEOUS MANUFAC- TURE 0F WIREBOUND CONTAINER MATS AND END UNITS William J. Hogan, Dover, N.J., assignor to Stapling Machines C0., Roclraway, N.J., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 338,496 2 Claims. (Cl. 140-74) This invention relates to a novel arrangement of wirebound box-making machines of generally conventional type, with certain added mechanism, whereby the side section assemblies or mats and the end units of wirebound container blanks are manufactured simultaneously, using only a single stapling machine, and are delivered to a common station for assembly to form complete wirebound container blanks.

Heretofore, it has been conventional practice to fabricate the side section assemblies or mats of wirebound container blanks and the end units therefor on separate combinations of stapling and loop fastener machines. Such a practice has been necessitated by the fact that the side section assemblies and the end units each issued from the stapling machine in a continuous succession connected by the binding wires stapled thereto and these successions of box components were conveyed to loop fastener machines in which the binding wires were severed in the intervals between adjacent side section assemblies or end units, as the case may be, and the resulting projecting wire ends were formed into loop fasteners. Because of the differences between the lengths of the loop fasteners on the side section assemblies and those on the end units, it has been necessary to provide different spacing between the adjacent side section assemblies than is provided between the adjacent end units, and this has made it impracticable to fabricate both the side section assemblies and the end units simultaneously in the same stapling machine and loop fastener machine.

Briefly, to achieve the desired result of fabricating box blanks and their end units simultaneously in accordance with the present invention, the following machines are required: a wirebound box-making machine of the general type disclosed in United States Patents No. 2,304,510 and No. 2,482,370 equipped with a binding wire feeding apparatus of the type disclosed in United States Patent application Serial No. 192,889, filed May 7, 1962, now Patent No. 3,123,830; a loop fastener machine of the general type disclosed in United States Patents No. 1,93 3,- 931 and No. 2,161,200, which operates upon the binding wires of the line of side section assemblies only; and a loop-forming machine of the type disclosed in United States Patent application Serial No. 302,582, filed August 16, 1963, now Patent No. 3,225,795, which operates upon the individual binding wire of the end units only. The end units are delivered from the latter machine to a convenient point at the output side of the loop fastener machine, readily available for assembly to their respective box blanks, by means of an upwardly extending power conveyor whose upper end is supported atop the loop fastener machine and adjoins the upper input end of a downwardly inclined gravity conveyor terminating in a suitable receiving hopper positioned above and adjacent either to an assembly table upon which the end units are manually assembled to the box blanks, or to an assembly machine in which this assembly operation is automatically performed.

The invention has the advantages of requiring only one stapling machine instead of the two heretofore required, and permits using, in lieu of one of the two loop fastener machines previously needed, a much simpler and less expensive loop forming machine, while eliminating the prior practice of fabricating end units and storing 3,265,530 Patented August 16, 1966 them until such time as the side section assemblies were manufactured, as well as the rehandling of the end units in removing them from storage for assembly to the box blanks. Still another advantage is the substantial reduction in the length of binding wire required for the end units.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a more or less diagrammatic elevational view of the several machines employed according to the present invention, as viewed from the left-hand side of the machines;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the machines of FIG- URE 1, at the same scale, showing more or less diagrammatically the positions of the machine relative to one another; and illustrating in the machines successions of side sections and end units for a wirebound box of square cross-section.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view, at enlarged scale, of the side section assembly of a wirebound box blank generally similar to that shown at bracket D in FIG- URE 2, except for having side sections of such dimensions that, when properly assembled with end units, they will form a wirebound box of rectangular cross-sectional shape.

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view taken in the direction indicated by arrows EE at the right-hand side of FIGURE 2, showing at enlarged scale the hopper for receiving and supporting the end units prior'to their assembly into wirebound box blanks.

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view, at the same scale, of the mechanism shown in FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is an end elevational view, also at the same scale, showing the mechanism of FIGURE 4 as viewed from the side which appears at the right in that figure.

In FIGURES 1 and 2, there is shown more or less diagrammatically the general arrangement of the several machines and associated apparatus required for the simultaneous manufacture of the'side section assemblies and end units of wirebound box blanks in accordance with the present invention. Shown at the left-hand side of each of these figures is a conventional stapling machine 2 having a transverse bank of staplers 4, which drive staples 6 astride binding wires 8 into face boards 10 and cleats 12 which are conveyed through the machine in properly assembled relation on a first pair of endless conveyor bands, as disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Patents Nos. 2,304,510 and 2,482,370. This produces the side section assemblies or mats for wirebound box blanks, of the type generally shown at 14, having top section 16, rear side section 18, bottom section 20, and front side section 22 of identical dimensions, so that when the mat is folded it forms a box which is square in cross section. The mats issue from the machine in a continuous succession tied together by binding wires 8 and spaced apart a predetermined distance. This succession of mats is conveyed into a conventional loop fastener machine 24 as disclosed in the aforementioned U. S. Patents Nos. 1,933,031 and 2,161,200. In the loop fastener machine, the binding wires are severed in the intervals between adjacent mats, the resulting wire ends are bent downwardly to form prongs, the end portions.

of the wires are bent again to form loops and to place the prongs over the adjacent edge portions of the mats and the prongs are driven into the box parts to secure the loops.

As best shown in FIGURE 2, the stapling machine 2 has, in addition to the first pair of conveyor bands, previously mentioned, a second pair of conveyor bands 28 moving continuously in synchronism therewith, which convey properly arranged parts for a succession of end units 30 past another group of staplers 32 in the same transverse row as the staplers 4, while predetermined lengths of binding Wire 34 are intermittently fed to the end units by a wire-feeding apparatus of the type disclosed in United States patent application Serial No. 192,889. As shown in FIGURE 2, the end units 30 are maintained in transverse alignment with the first and third sections or top section 16 and bottom section 28 of their respective mats 14 and a similar pattern of staples 6 is driven astride the binding wire .34 and into the box parts of the end units as they move beneath the staplers 32. Since all four sections of mats 14 are identical, the end units 30 could as well be positioned in transverse alignment with the second and fourth sections, regardless of whether the top section 16 or the front side section 22 is the lead section in the blank set-up. However, when making blanks for boxes of rectangular cross-sectional shape, such as illustrated at 36 in FIGURE 3, it is more practical to align the end units 38 with the wider top section 40 and bottom section 42 which, as shown traveling in the direction indicated by arrow A in FIGURE 3, are the first and third sections of the blank setup. Of course, if the setup were reversed, the end units 38 would then be aligned with the second and fourth sections.

Upon issuing from the stapling machine 2, the end units 30 are presented to the conveying members 44 of a loop forming machine 45 of the type disclosed in United States patent application Serial No. 302,582, which forms an eye 46 on each projecting end of the binding wire 34. The completed end units 30 are ejected onto the. receiving end of an upwardly inclined power conveyor 48 which extends upwardly to a point above the loop fastener machine 24. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the ends of the stationary roller shaft 50 at the output end of the power conveyor 48 are mounted in support brackets 52 fastened to bars 54 secured to cross members 56 atop loop fastener machine 24. Arranged with its input end adjacent the output end of the power conveyor 48 is a gravity conveyor 60 formed by a spaced pair of angular guide members 58 with a bottom plate 64 extending therebetween. As shown in FIGURE 1, the upper ends of the guide members 58 are hook-shaped and are engaged and supported upon the outwardly projecting ends of roller shaft 50, while, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the opposite ends of these guide members project beyond the lower end 62 of bottom plate 64 of trough 60, and removably support a hopper 66 for receiving the end units 30.

As best shown in FIGURES 4, 5, and 6, the guide members 58 have projecting from their outer faces adjacent the lower end 62 of bot-tom plate 64 short studs 68 which support the upper ends of hook members 70 projecting upwardly at either side of the hopper 66 adjacent the rear or input side thereof. The front or output side of said hopper is supported upon the extended and slightly flared ends 72 of guide members 58, the upper edges of which are provided with shallow notches 74 (FIGURE 5) in which are received short studs 76 projecting outwardly from the short vertical members 78 at the front corners of hopper 66.

To provide for adjustment of the size of the hopper 66 to accommodate end units 30 of various widths and lengths, as shown in FIGURE 5, the transversely spaced horizontal members 80 which extend lengthwise of the open floor of the hopper are provided with elongated slots 82 in which are slidalbly received threaded members 84 cal-tried by the outer end portions of the transversely extending bars 86, which are secured at the desired position along the slots 82 by wing nuts 88 (FIGURE 4) threaded thereon.

As best shown in FIGURES 4 and 6, at the lower front face of the hopper there is provided an angle member 90 whose short upstanding flange 92 serves as a striker member to engage the leading edges of the end units 30 and stop their descent into the hopper, as illustrated in broken lines B in FIGURE 4, so that the units come to rest and are supported in a horizontal position within the ,4 hopper, as shown by full lines C. As may be seen in FIGURE 6, the vertical flange 92 of angle member has at its center portion a notch 94 which permits the end of binding wire 34 to project therethrough. The projecting end of the binding Wire 34 with its eye 46 thus provides a convenient handle by which the end units 34) may be readily lifted above the angle member 90 and removed from the open end of the hopper 66.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the right-hand or output end of the gravity conveyor 60 is supported on upstanding arms 96 which are secured at either side of loop fastener machine 24 and which have mounted at their upper ends a transversely extending bar 98 upon which the lower portion of bottom plate 64 of conveyor 60 is supported.

The end units 30 move through the loop forming machines 45 and the conveyor assembly 48, 60 at a slightly faster speed than the respective mats 14 move through the loop fastener machine 24, so that a pair of end units are available in the hopper 66 as the corresponding mat 14 passes from loop fastener machine 24 onto the assembly table 100 where the operation of attaching the end units 30 to the mats is manually performed. Alternatively, a machine of the type disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,032,074 issued May 1, 1962 may be provided for automatically attaching the end units to the box blanks.

It will thus be appreciated that the present invention provides practical apparatus for forming complete box blanks, including both the side section assemblies and the end units, using only a single conventional stapling machine and avoiding the problem of storing and handling end units separately from the mats. However, it should emphasize that the particular embodiment of the invention which is illustrated and described herein is intended as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention rather than as restrictive of the scope thereof, which is defined only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for making wirebound container blanks comprising a stapling machine having two sets of conveyors arranged side-by-side, the first set being adapted to convey the side sections for said container blanks and the second set being adapted to convey the end units, with their respective parts in proper relative positions, past a single transverse row of stapling mechanisms by which staples are driven astride longitudinally extending binding wires and into said parts to form a continuous succession of side section assemblies connected by said binding wires, and a succession of end units, a loop fastener machine arranged to receive said succession of side sections, sever the binding wires in the intervals between adjacent container blanks and form the resulting wire ends into 100p fasteners, an assembly table arranged to receive the side section assemblies issuing from said loop fastener machine, an end fastener forming machine adapted to receive said succession of end units, form the ends of the projecting wires into loops, to provide projecting wire fastening means for attaching said end units to said side section assemblies, a hopper positioned adjacent said assembly table to receive and support said end units in a generally vertical stack, and conveyor means for conveying said end units from said end fastener forming machine into the upper end of said hopper, said conveyor means including a motor-driven portion extending upwardly from said end fastener forming machine to a point above said loop fastener machine, and a gravity portion extending downwardly from said point to said hopper.

2. Apparatus for making wirebound container blanks comprising a stapling machine having two sets of conveyors arranged side-by-side, the first set being adapted to convey the side section for said container blanks and the second set being adapted to convey the end units, with their respective parts in proper relative position, past a single transverse row of stapling mechanisms by which staples are driven astride longitudinally extending binding wires and into said parts to form a continuous succession of side section assemblies connected by said binding wires, and a succession of end units, a loop fastener machine arranged to receive said succession of side sections,

' sever the binding Wires in the intervals between adjacent container blanks and form the resulting wire ends into loop fasteners, an assembly table arranged to receive the side section assemblies issuing from said loop fastener machine, an end fastener forming machine adapted to receive said succession of end units, form the ends of the projecting wires into loops, to provide projecting wire fastening means for attaching said end units to said side section assemblies, a hopper positioned adjacent said assembly table to receive and support said end units in a generally vertical stack, and a conveyor assembly for receiving said end units from said end fastener forming machine and conveying them into the upper end of said hopper, said hopper comprising a bottom support and side guides suspended from the output end of said conveyor assembly and a striker member positioned to be engaged by the leading edges of the end units as they move into said hopper on said conveyor assembly, said striker member being provided with openings to receive the wire fasteners projecting from the leading edges of said end units, and the end of said hopper above said striker member being open for the full Width of said end units to permit easy removal of said end units from said hopper by grasping the wire fasteners projecting from the leading ends of said end units and lifting said end units above said striker member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,901,066 3/1933 Twomley 198-32 2,125,461 8/1938 Rosenmund 93 2,825,474 3/1958 Coley et a1. 19319 2,955,623 10/1960 Rice et al. 14093 3,032,074 5/1962 Rice et a1. 14093 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

L. A. LARSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR MAKING WIREBOUND CONTAINER BLANKS COMPRISING A STAPLING MACHINE HAVING TWO SETS OF CONVEYORS ARRANGED SIDE-BY-SIDE, THE FIRST SET BEING ADAPTED TO CONVEY THE SIDE SECTIONS FOR SAID CONTAINER BLANKS AND THE SECOND SET BEING ADAPTED TO CONVEY THE END UNITS, WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE PARTS IN PROPER RELATIVE POSITIONS, PAST A SINGLE TRANSVERSE ROW OF STAPLING MECHANISMS BY WHICH STAPLES ARE DRIVEN ASTRIDE LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING BINDING WIRES AND INTO SAID PARTS TO FORM A CONTINUOUS SUCCESSION OF SIDE SECTION ASSEMBLIES CONNECTED BY SAID BINDING WIRES, AND A SUCCESSION OF END UNITS, A LOOP FASTENER MACHINE ARRANGED TO RECEIVE SAID SUCCESSION OF SIDE SECTIONS, SEVER THE BINDING WIRES IN THE INTERVALS BETWEEN ADJACENT CONTAINER BLANKS AND FORM THE RESULTING WIRE ENDS INTO LOOP FASTENERS, AN ASSEMBLY TABLE ARRANGED TO RECEIVE THE SIDE SECTION ASSEMBLIES ISSUING FROM SAID LOOP FASTENER MACHINE, AN END FASTENER FORMING MACHINE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID SUCCESSION OF END UNITS, FORM THE ENDS OF THE PROJECTING WIRES INTO LOOPS, TO PROVIDE PROJECTING WIRE FASTENING MEANS FOR ATTACHING SAID END UNITS TO SAID SIDE SECTION ASSEMBLIES, A HOPPER POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID ASSEMBLY TABLE TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT SAID END UNITS IN A GENERALLY VERTICAL STACK, AND CONVEYOR MEANS FOR CONVEYING SAID END UNITS FROM SAID END FASTENER FORMING MACHINE INTO THE UPPER END OF SAID HOPPER, SAID CONVEYOR MEANS INCLUDING A MOTOR-DRIVEN PORTION EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID END FASTENER FORMING MACHINE TO A POINT ABOVE SAID LOOP FASTENER MACHINE, AND A GRAVITY PORTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID POINT TO SAID HOPPER. 